B. J. Thomas Bonefit, November 26th!

Today has been a good one. For lunch I tried making my first paninis, that Carol had told me how to make and they were so delicious, I called Kinky, after we had eaten to ask him if he would like to try one of my turkey Panini with Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapenos and a sliced tomato.

Fifteen minutes later, as Kinky munched away on my panini, he suggested that I should really do a cookbook, because I always get so excited about trying new recipes and then telling everyone about the ingredients and how to make it.

When my panini had disappeared we started talking about our exciting upcoming B.J. Thomas bonefit, because tomorrow morning Kim and Bryant Williams are coming out to shoot us and our dogs for a thirty-second commercial about our B.J. Thomas fundraiser, to run on local  FOX stations. Then he went back to his office and came back into the kitchen, so he could practice the "script," so I could time him to make sure that he read it under thirty seconds.

After several readings, Kinky complained about the type being so small. "Kinky, I can blow it up real big, so you can read it, if you want me to."

Twenty minutes later I happily returned to the Lodge, with three pages of the enlarged script, taped onto a big foam board. "Thanks, Nance. This will work..." Before going back home, after telling Kinky that I was fixin' to go reupholster the couch inside my cabin, Kinky told me that his friend Captain Frank was coming out late this afternoon, because his friend wanted to talk to us about some ideas he had for helping our rescue ranch.

"That sounds great," I said. "Oh, I almost forgot. We have rescued a two-year-old, female black Lab, that our friends Robert and Tracy rescued in their neighborhood, the nice couple from Kerrville, that adopted Betty Boop from us over a year ago, and they are bringing her out later today and..."

Before Tony helped me bring the cushions into our trailer I took this picture of the old couch cushions.

One hour later or the time it took to have completed three seat cushions, there was a knock on our door, so I dropped what I was doing and opened the door to a friendly man. "Hi, are you Captain Frank?" Robert started laughing, because I didn't recognize him, because I am as blind as a bat.

The minute that we met Missy, the temporary name that they had given to her, who reminded me so much of our dear old Thunder, we had a fun visit with them, as we watched Emmylou Harris happily playing with her new roommate. While the two dogs romped around the front yard of my pretty, pink cabin, Tracy showed us pictures of Betty Boop, while they told us hilarious stories about her.

After Tracy and Robert left, we left and went back inside the trailer, so Tony could watch the Cowboys game and I could finish the cushions and ten minutes later, Kinky came over with Captain Frank and Melissa, so we could visit, which turned out to be fun and very interesting.

When the Cowboys had officially won the game, I was done with the cushions! So, Tony helped me carry them back into the cabin, so I could take a picture of my finished project. And yes, it is another one of my creations, "It's  A Nancy," because the stripes don't line up, but I don't care because I am sixty-years-old.

After I took this picture, T. and I jumped into Trigger and took off to feed Shalom and the donkeys and that is about it for tonight.

Tomorrow after Kim and Bryant shoot all of us, we are taking "Missy" to Hoegemeyers' to get her shots, because she has already been spayed and vetted.

Y'all have a great evening and please keep praying that we get some more rain!

Best Birthday Ever—Thanks To All Of Y'all!

First off, I've had the best birthday ever—thanks to all of y'all and I want to thank you so much for all of the many phone calls, e-mails and best wishes comments y'all made on my Facebook page and I want to thank my dear friends, Karin, Lisa, June, Don, Baxter, Jon & Sandy, Eileen for coming to Cal Bobs Smoke Shack, at noon today, to help me celebrate my 60th birthday and a very special thank you to Ellen for treating Tony and me to our delicious lunch today with all of them and a super fun birthday party! Thank y'all!

Now I must play "catch-up"and tell about Saturday's fun and exciting day.

Saturday morning our dear friend and talented professional videographer and film maker, Gerry Olert, came out to see Tony and me, because he wanted to give us DVD's of the two videos, that he did for Alan Warren's Sports show, the one's with Lisa and Eileen in it—that Tony, Kinky and I love.

Before our fun visit started inside the trailer, Gerry gave Tony a cap and then he gave me two, cute pink caps to wear, which we love and Tony won't take off of his head. Thank you, Gerry!

While we drank coffee and had a fun visit with him, Jim Keaveny's music was playing in the background and Gerry like me—instantly fell in love with Keaveny's awesome music. After we talked about Keaveny's music style we talked about the two, exciting upcoming Bonefits at The Springs in Salado.

An Evening With B. J. Thomas on Saturday, November 26th and on Saturday, December 17th the Bonefit starring Rodney Crowell, Billy Joe Shaver and Kinky, which he will be at filming parts of, so he can make another great video for our rescue ranch to help promote us. Thank you, Alan Warren and Gerry—we love y'all!

After I had poured us another cup of coffee, I complained and then laughed about fixin' to turn 60 years old, but still feeling like I was 18 years old and he agreed with me, even though he is only 48 years old. When Gerry told me that he was hoping to win the Texas Lottery I said, "Life is so funny, Gerry, because I plan to win the lottery, too, so please, age before beauty—let me win it first. With my luck, I will actually win it and then immediately drop dead from a heart attack and Tony will probably marry some pretty young woman."

"No, I won't Nance," Tony said, followed by a chuckle. "I'll buy a new truck and bass boat and play the field, because it is much cheaper!" Which caused Gerry and me to burst out laughing at his remark. After too much laughing and fun with Gerry Olert—we sadly adios-ed our good friend, because we were having so much fun with him, but knowing that we would be seeing him soon at the Rodney Crowell, Billy Joe Shaver and Kinky Bonefit on December 17th, at The Springs.

Around 4:00, Karin arrived at the rescue ranch, so she could go on her horseback riding date with Carol, over at Carol's beautiful ranch, so we dressed up in our cowgirl clothes and then jumped into Trigger and took off for Carol's ranch.

Fifteen minutes later, after Karin gave Carol a cute cowboy t-shirt to wear, as her thank you gift to her, Karin put her pretty, Justin Gypsy Boot into the stirrup and climbed up on Dude, like she had been riding for years and it was awesome to watch her ride, like a skilled Texas cowgirl, all over Carol's ranch with Carol riding Maya. Here are three pictures that I took of their fun ride.

When the horses had tired from being ridden, because of the hot weather, we went up to the deck and drank beers to celebrate our fun time and then we all told Karin that she was a great rider, which made her blush. 

When our bottles were emptied, and after a Colic scare with Dude was happily resolved, Karin took off for Kerrville and on our way back home I said, "Carol is so sweet for letting Karin ride Dude today. She has just made Karin's trip the greatest thing that she has done in Texas and we can't thank Carol enough and... " And that is about it for tonight.

I want to thank everyone for making my 60th Birthday today, the best birthday that I have ever had. I love y'all and will never forget today. And like Rick, The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper, told me early this morning, "I hope you have another one!" And I do! Thanks to y'all!

Y'all have a great evening and please keep praying that we get some rain.

Voices!

Today has been great. This morning when the Fab 4, June, Ellen, Eileen and Lisa, arrived to walk our dogs, my day brightened, because these fabulous women are four of the funniest people that I know. A few seconds after they arrived they had Tony and me laughing.

After they had walked our dogs and Ellen had trimmed Maggie's nails for us, we had a fun visit with them, under a shade tree by Rufus and Roxanne's pen. During our visit Eileen told us that her sister Dean is coming to see her on Thursday and she is going to bring Dean out here next Friday, because all of us can't wait to meet her.

When we asked Eileen to tell us a little more about her sister, because all we knew was that Dean had gotten married high up in the sky, in a hot air balloon. "Y'all are going to love her," Eileen said. "I have an hilarious story to tell about Dean, involving a pony, a monkey and her ex-husband, but I am not going to tell it, because she tells it so much better."

I never quit laughing for twenty minutes, listening to their hilarious tales and when it was time for them to head to Medina to eat lunch at the Highway 16 Cafe, they invited us to join them and we did after I went up to the trailer and loaned June the hilarious horror movie, "The Being," starring Kent, Ruthie and Kinky.

Before Tone and I sat down at their table I pulled out my little Sony digital recorder and placed it on our table, "I'm going to record lunch with y'all, to help me remember who said what," I said, as they started laughing.

During lunch, because we were sitting at the only table in the cafe, that constantly roared with laughter, Tony's brother Sam, who was sitting at the table, right next to us, with his family and friends, jokingly half-hollered, "Nancy, please cheer up," because I was laughing so hard and that made everyone laugh even louder.

And after lunch, as I stood in line, waiting to pay for T.'s and my lunch I started hearing voices talking nearby, to the left of me, but no one was left of me—the booths and tables were empty. As I tried to hear what the voices were saying, I asked the Fab 4, "Can y'all hear those voices coming from over there, but no one is over there?  It sounds kind of like a radio or something and..." Then they heard the voices, too and that's when we suddenly realized the voices were our voices, coming from inside my purse, that was hanging off my left shoulder—my little digital recorded some how had turned itself on and was playing back our hilarious lunch conversation and we started laughing and they teased me all of the way to Trigger.

When we got home I went over to visit with Kinky. "Nance, I've got the dates for two upcoming Bonefits for the rescue ranch at Sean's place, called "The Springs" Music Hall, in Salado, Texas. The first one will be "A Night With B. J. Thomas," with me being the host on Saturday, November 26th and the second one will be "Kinky & Friends," on December 17th..." And to say the least—Tony and I are thrilled about it. So please note, as the dates, for the benefits grow closer, I will have more information about the Bonefits and the price of the tickets on our web site: utopiarescue.com and on my blog.

I also want to let everyone know that our good friend, Kimberley Galusha has contacted me to let us know that Joe King Carrasco will be performing tomorrow night in Marfa, Texas at the "Marfa Lights Festival" at 8:00 to benefit our Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch! Thank you, Joe King Carrasco—We love You and Kimberley and we wish that we could be there to enjoy his fabulous music!

My last good news is Marguerite called me early this evening to tell me that Enzo is doing fine, so far and he was sleeping by her feet, as we chatted. She said that he had met her cats, dogs and parrot and they liked him and he liked them and was loving the book, The Art of Racing In Rain and has read about a third of it! And here is a picture that Marguerite sent to me tonight of Enzo sleeping on the cool tile floor. 

Y'all have a great evening and please keep praying for rain for us and keep your fingers crossed that Enzo has hopefully finally found his loving forever home!

Music To My Ears!

Today has been nice and quiet, which makes it a great day. This morning I overslept on purpose sort of, because I didn't want to get out of bed, because our trailer's inside temperature was fifty-seven degrees and I was in bed, warmed by several blankets, with our dogs snuggling next to me. I loved it, but knowing that Tony would be coming home soon, I finally threw the blankets back, quickly dressed into my sweats and then I came into the kitchen to drink some hot coffee.

As I slowly sipped the delicious Dunkin' Donuts French Vanilla coffee, out of my favorite turtle mug, I looked outside to check the outside temperature and I was totally shocked to find that it was forty-two degrees outside and drizzling! Being a native Texan—I have never seen the temperature get down to forty-two degrees in May, with the exception of the two years when I lived up in Crested Butte, Colorado.

Because it was so cold inside the trailer too, I turned on the oven to help warm up the trailer, because last month Tony had shut off the propane tank outside—that heats our trailer, because we thought we were done with winter weather.

By the time T. got back home I was cooking his breakfast and the inside temperature had only risen three degrees, so he immediately went outside to turn on the propane. An hour later the inside temperature was  sixty-eight degrees and it was still drizzling outside, thank goodness, and only forty-three degrees.

Late this afternoon around four o'clock Kinky called me from Nashville to check on us and The Friedmans and to see if we had gotten any rain. After I gave him my report he told me that he was excited to be back in Nashville and having fun. Kinky told me that he had already seen his friend B. J. Thomas, and he was looking forward to tonight's show at "3rd And Lindsley" because many of his old friends that he hasn't seen in a long time, are coming to his show tonight.

Well, that's about it for tonight, because my finger tips are tender to the touch, because yesterday, after not having played my guitar in over six months—I got it out and played it for over an hour in the kitchen. I had only planned on playing it for about thirty minutes, because my calluses had gone away, but when I stopped picking and was putting my guitar back into its case, Tone came out of his office and said, "Nance, please don't stop playing your guitar. You sound really good and I am really enjoying listening to you..." So I pulled my guitar back out of its case and played it for another thirty minutes, because of what T. had said—had made my day and was music to my ears.

Y'all have a great evening! (Right now it's sixty-one degrees outside and seventy-one inside.)